What to do ?.....

[mynyddisamrs]

I know it's only three weeks since Mum (86 with Vascular Dementia) broke her hip but.....

She's been moved to a nearby community hospital - Good.
She's now got C.Difficile - Bad
She won't eat or drink much and is back on fluid drip - Bad
She won't take her tablets without a fuss ...sometimes spits them out..- Bad
She's had only 1 physio session and they say that, because she can't respond well to instructions ...due to Dementia + feeling rough, they won't do anymore with her.- Bad

...There's a planning meeting to be arranged when we can work out when and how we're to get Mum home.I'm hoping to involve her previous Social worker and CPN. Looks like we'll need help with a different bed etc, deal with whether she stays on a Catheter etc and what aids we'll need.
All I'd like at the moment would be a bit of hope from the nursing staff that they will at least try to get her a little mobile. It seems that because they didn't know her before the fall they can't see further than her Dementia. I don't think they believe me when I say she had a good appetite etc and that even with her Dementia she was very happy and bubbly!

......Sorry to moan! I just don't know where we go from here.
We had arranged respite care before her fall. The first week was Mid June when DH and I should be going away - new grandsons christening. Now I have the question ...would the care home still be available if Mum's not so mobile, has a catheter etc.(I know it sounds mean thinking of that!) Will she even be home by then? So many what if's!!!

.....Oh well.
cheers everyone .... all thoughts on this gratefully received!

Mynn

 

[Vonny]

Hi Mynn,

The trouble with making advance arrangements for someone with dementia is that this defies that well known maxim: take each day at a time.

Who knows? By the time respite comes around your mum may be back to her old self! Or she may not. Best check with your mum's SW to see if that CH can take her if she is still having problems.

On the plus side, there are many pieces of equipment which can help in caring for your mum once she's back home with you.

I've heard before that hospitals won't pursue physio due to dementia and personally I just think they aren't trying hard enough. Mind you, that's just my opinion. As for eating and drinking, although this is a stage of dementia which is a regular occurence, you may find that once your mum is back in familiar surroundings she may pick up both in terms of eating and drinking, and in taking her medication.

Sorry this is all "maybes" and "perhapses" - I think the hardest thing about dementia is the constant unknowns.

Good luck with your mum xx

 

[Sandy]

Hi Mynn,

On the medication front, is there any chance that liquid medications could replace some of the tablets?

As far as planning for your mother's future care, I would say that it's important to have support from professionals that you trust and who know your mother pre-admission to hospital. So getting her previous SW and CPN involved could be a big help.

Having read threads on TP for some time, it appears that it can be very difficult to get someone with dementia to participate in physiotherapy and recovery of mobility may be limited.

I hope that a suitable care package can be arranged to allow your mother to return home, but it's worth keeping an open mind about alternatives if her mobility and medical needs require more care than you feel you can give her at the moment.

Take care,

 

[thatwoman]

Hi Mynn,
My dad was in hospital for 10 weeks earlier this year. He's 83 and has vascular dementia, and was admitted with pneumonia. When he arrived he walked in, had been coping on his own at home and was able to eat and drink. He lost the ability to walk on the second day (probably another stroke, but it wasn't investigated cos nobody believed me that he'd deteriorated), then he got C Diff and spent the next month on isolation. During that time he stopped eating and drinking, became violent and refused all meds. He lost about 25% of his body weight. The light at the end of the tunnel came when we got him out of hospital into a nursing home. Almost instantly he stopped being aggressive, has generally taken all his meds and is slowly regaining the weight. He's still immobile, and still incontinent, but he's generally happy and eats well again. So don't give up! It may well be the infection that causes your mum to refuse meds, and getting physios to work with patients who are reluctant seems to be a widespread problem. Dad's home are hopeful that he will be mobilised once he's regained some of the muscle that has wasted away. Coping with him at home was out of the question once he'd lost the use of his legs, but he has settled well in the home. I think that was the upside of having such a bad experience of hospital- anything had to be an improvement! And I was able to be in London for the birth of my new grandaughter without worrying about dad or feeling guilty. My advice to you would be to make sure you get the time off that you've booked. You'll feel so much better.
love Sue x

 

[imac.girll1]

Having read threads on TP for some time, it appears that it can be very difficult to get someone with dementia to participate in physiotherapy and recovery of mobility may be limited.

This is an area where it is very difficult for the professionals to actually do anything for the sufferer as most cases the sufferer will complain bitterly that they are in pain, in whatever means they can, without the understanding that they need to do this to get through the pain

I had the same problem with a shoulder situation with my mother and the Physio basically said if she can't/won't make an attempt then their hands are tied to what can be done with the exercises. I myself could not even get mother to do them, and if I couldn't then no chance were the professionals going to get it done!

Sorry no help, but just a minor explanation.

Good luck

 

[MJK]

Hi Mynn,

I'm afraid I can't offer any advice really, but there are some similarities to my Mum's condition. She has advanced AD and until just over a month ago she was in a care home, fully and independently mobile, eating a normal diet and feeding herself. After breaking her hip, she can no longer wallk. She was unable to cooperate with the physio so there wasn't much they could do (I accept that, she just can't follow instructions at all). She now can't feed herself and is on a pureed diet. She's been on and off a drip due to lack of fluids. She's catherterised. Before the accident her cognition was extremely poor but physically she was pretty good. Now she can do absolutely nothing. She doesn't even seem to change position in bed or a chair.

Sorry for the ramble. I don't know the reason for her deterioration. I suspect it may be the affect of the genearal anaesthetic. However looking back she has deteriorated a lot in the last 8/9 months, maybe this has just accelerated. Maybe it's the stress of the accident, hospitalisation etc. I just don't know.

I find it a little frustrating that no-one can say why she has changed - she is sooo different from before, but apart from family no-one knew her before and after the accident (she went from CH to hosp to NH). So I guess they just see and treat her how she is.

Sorry I can't answer any of your questions. We were told my Mum would definitely need a Nursing Home once she was discharged from hospital.

 

[mynyddisamrs]

Thanks for all your replies and good wishes ..... I know we're early on in this new journey and as always I'm impatient!!
I phoned SS today and they have been in touch with the hospital ...they're not ready for discharge yet. Probably want to clear the C.diff. before she's let out ...I presume, anyway. I'm waiting for a call back from the CPN in the hope we can at least arrange for her to be involved ..... she knew what stage mum was at last year.
I would like to care for Mum at home again ...if it means different bed, equipment like a hoist etc and coping with a catheter and incontinence etc so-beit. It was 24/7 before so that's not new.

It's good to air things here though ...helps a lot!

cheers for now
Jackie (AKA..Mynn)